Vehicle warranties and service contracts (US): where to start

This page organises our US vehicle warranty guides by the question you have. It is a map, not advice. A warranty comes with a vehicle. A service contract is a separate agreement you buy. The FTC explains the difference.

The short answer

Service contracts: the FTC says auto service contracts, "sometimes called 'extended warranties,'" are "optional contracts sold by vehicle manufacturers, dealers, or independent companies."¹
Not a warranty in federal law: an auto service contract or extended warranty "is not a warranty as defined by federal law, because you buy it separately."¹
Repairs and your warranty: the FTC says "You don't have to use the dealer for repairs or maintenance to keep your warranty in effect."¹
Lemon laws are separate: the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles says its lemon law helps people who buy or lease new vehicles and "have repeated problems getting their vehicles properly repaired under the manufacturer's original warranty."²

The basics

Extended warranty vs. manufacturer warrantyWhy an "extended warranty" is a different thing from a manufacturer's warranty.How vehicle service contracts workThe FTC used-car rule's definition and Buyers Guide notice.FTC Used Car Buyers GuideThe window sticker rule and service contracts."As is" sales and service contractsWhat federal law says about "as is" sales.Protection products vs. service contractsHow these products are legally different.Mechanical breakdown insurance vs. service contractHow they differ.The federal emissions warrantyA legal duty rather than a purchase.Independent repair shops and your warrantyWhether using one voids a warranty.Car modifications and your warrantyAftermarket and recycled parts: what the FTC says stays in effect and what can be denied.

Reading and comparing a contract

Reading exclusionsHow to read a vehicle service contract's exclusions.How to compare vehicle service contractsWhich terms to line up side by side.Recall vs. known-defect exclusionTwo different things that get confused.

Buying, financing and add-ons

Add-ons packed into a car loanA checklist for seeing add-ons inside a loan payment.FTC Holder RuleFinanced service contracts and the loan holder.What is GAP coverage?What the CFPB says GAP is, how it is sold with a loan, and what it says to check.GAP waiver refund rightsRefunds of a GAP charge.GAP charges and Reg ZHow a GAP charge is disclosed.The vacated FTC CARS RuleA federal dealer-add-on rule that is not in effect.GAP and add-on enforcement recordClosed public records reported as the regulators described them.

Verifying a provider and state rules

Verify a vehicle service contract providerA licensing and identity checklist with Texas and Florida examples.Louisiana vehicle service contractsLouisiana's registration and contract rules.Massachusetts vehicle service contract testMassachusetts's obligor test.Missouri vehicle service contract regulationMissouri's required wording and backing.Nebraska vehicle service contract regulationNebraska's financial-backing path.Texas service contract regulationTexas's service contract provider chapter.

Claims, cancellations and lemon laws

How a vehicle service contract claim worksWho decides, pre-approval, shop choice and records.Maintenance records and your warrantyWhat the FTC says about service records for a warranty or service contract.Repairs after the warranty ends (California)California's adjustment-program law: who must tell you and how to claim a refund.Cancellation and refund rightsWhat a cancellation may return.Lemon laws vs. vehicle service contractsTwo separate legal mechanisms.Louisiana lemon lawOne state's lemon law.Louisiana redhibitionLouisiana's separate civil-code remedy.Where to file a complaintHow state routes differ.

Unwanted offers and scams

Vehicle warranty robocallsThe federal rules on calls about an expiring warranty.Scams and deceptive marketing hubChecklists, rules and where to report.

Canada

Canadian rules are different. See our Canada vehicle warranty guides, including Does Canada have lemon laws? and CAMVAP arbitration.

How this fits our standard and Register

Our standard sets out what we check about a provider's contract terms, licensing and complaint record. The Register reports those checks by category, including vehicle service contract providers. Both describe a method. Neither is a recommendation of any company.

How to verify this yourself

Open the FTC page (reference 1) and the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles page (reference 2). The framing statements at the top of this page come from them.¹²
Each guide linked here ends with its own reference list. Open the primary source and read it.
For your own state, use your state's consumer protection office, found through the USAGov directory.

What this page is not

This page is navigation. It is not legal advice and does not recommend buying or avoiding any vehicle service contract. The lemon-law statement describes Texas only; other states have their own laws. Laws change, so check the primary source in each guide.

What to do next

Pick the question you have from the list above. If you are being offered a contract now, start with the guide on comparing vehicle service contracts and the one on verifying a provider.

Last reviewed 3 October 2026. General information from the cited primary sources; not legal advice.